Display form for footwear



F. W. ESTEY DISPLAY FORM FOR FOOTWEAR Aug. 15, 1939 Filed July 2, 1938 INVENTOR. lrea'e/z c/c WEsiey BYS 1 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 15, 1939 DISPLAY FORM FOR FOOTWEAR Frederick W. Estey, West Stoughton, Mass, assignor to George E. Belcher Company, Stoughton, Mass, a. corporation of Massachusetts Application July 2, 1938, Serial No. 217,182

'7 Claims.

In the display of footwear it has become increasingly the custom to provide new styles with correspondingly moded forms. Such forms must importantly fit the shoe snugly and smoothly but be readily removable to display interior finish.

The forms also being part of a sales display are desirable in attractive finish and free from mechanical contrivances such as are usually,

necessary to make the form fit the shoe. In fact, heretofore, it has been thought necessary to cover several different sizes, but the difficulty in practice was that the expansible type does not give the perfection of fit to size and shape and involves awkward delay at critical sales climaxes when the mechanical adjustments are being made.

My present concept involves novel structures and methods of manipulation which are interesting and attractive and well adapted to sales projects.

A variety of materials and finishes are made possible by my invention and by reason of simplicity forms according to my invention may be produced at low costs by reason of which the forms may be used as freely as sales tactics demands.

Throughout the specification and drawing like reference characters are employed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a form according to my invention being inserted in a sample for display and illustrating the unexpected action of such forms in entering or being withdrawn from such articles without marring of finish or staining by metal parts.

Fig. 2 is a view of a form with pivot post indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a face view of the post bearing part.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modification.

Fig. 5 is a section through a form exposing its pin or post on which the parts swivel, and

Fig. 6 is a section through a form having a modification of swivel according to this invention.

Referring to the drawing I have shown in Fig. 1 the form F, F in intermediate position of entry or withdrawal relative to a conventionally indicated shoe S.

In this view it will be noted that the part F is swiveled as indicated by dotted lines so as to be movable relative to its companion part F. This will be better understood by reference to Fig. 3 in which the pin or post P of wood or other material appears in end elevation, the arrow as indicating relative rotary movement of the part F.

The pin or post P has a groove g intermediate its end. Across this groove g bears a brad d which permits the parts to swivel freely relative to each other without having any lateral movement or the separation of the part F or its de- 5 tachment from the post P which is held as by a brad d driven through the part F. The parts may be variously ventilated as at V by slots or holes.

While I prefer the pin or post structure as indicated the parts F and F may be swiveled as by a metal screw R having a head I-I bearing in the cavity of one part and fast in the other part so that the two may turn relative to each other.

In the form shown in Fig. 4., a second out 44 may be made parallel to the first out. Such cuts, as will be seen from Fig. 2, which is practically a plan View, are secant to the fore and aft line of the foot. It is a vertical angling out leaving mutual bearing or wedging faces C on the severed parts F and F.

The smooth bearing faces make an almost frictionless movement so that these forms can be entered or withdrawn by the knob K held in the fingers of one hand while the other holds the article of footwear to be displayed. These structures according to my present invention are light and strong. They are easily handled and because they are not subjected to any great strains can be made of light stock. While other materials may be used, woods make most attractive trees and with 'a polished finish make a most attractive article in a show, store or window display.

My forms can be made in all shapes and sizes and while the lighter materials make for more convenient handling for some purposes, they may be made of heavier material. One of these I mention as in the spirit of the times as so-called Bakelite.

If a moldable material be used instead of wood, certain advantages might be gained, but according to my concept one relation between the style footwear which is lasted on original lasts might be lost. Therefore I have indicated preference for turned wooden display forms based on the very fact that shoe forms or display trees or whatever term may be used may advantageously be made of wood. One reason for this, according 5 to my concept, is that the display forms can be turned right in the factory where the lasts for the new lines are being made. They can be turned from the same patterns and on the same machines, sawed on the same or like sawing ma- 55 chines, so that such a shoe form becomes an anticipation of the basis of fit in the display which is to be made. In other words, no matter how much haste or confusion may arise, the salesman is bound to get his display properly fitted.

Considered in this light, my concept may be considered as a new method of styling, displaying and merchandising shoes or like lasted footwear in which an original wooden last is made for the new styles or samples of shoes to be made by the manufacturer.

According to my method, a wooden form is rough turned, sawed, pegged and turned and polished to the ultimate last models so as to constitute what is really an anticipatory basis of fit in a display.

As is attempted to be indicated in Fig. 1, forms according to my invention may be entered in or withdrawn from a sample shoe, slipper or like article with what seems to be an accommodation of the form parts spirally of the foot axis. "his action is apparently due to the swivel or post set perpendicular to the faces of an angling cut on a line of major severance 3 approximately at the waistline of the shoe.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A form for the display of footwear, comprising front and rear parts having mutual bearing faces vertically of the form and disposed diagonally of its front to rear axis, and a pivot post disposed perpendicularly to the part faces, said post having a circumferential groove, and a keeper engaged in said groove, whereby the parts are maintained in swivelling non-separating relation permissive of rotative accommodation on insertion and withdrawal.

2. A form for the display of footwear, comprising front and rear parts having mutual hearing faces vertically of the form and disposed diagonally of its front to rear axis, and a pivot post disposed perpendicularly to the part faces, and fixed in one and rotatable in the other, said post having a circumferential groove, and 2.

keeper engaged in said groove, whereby the parts are maintained in swivelling non-separating relation permissive of rotative accommodation on insertion and withdrawal.

3. A freely articulated form for the display of footwear including a plurality of sections having substantially vertical mutual bearing faces secant of the fore and aft line of the form, said sections having a pivotal assembly including a post perpendicular to the plane of the mutual bearing faces, whereby the parts may move circularly with reference thereto and assume spiral postures in their entry longitudinally of the article to be displayed.

4. A form for a shoe or like article of footwear, comprising fore and heel parts divided on a plane which is diagonal to the major axis of the form to provide substantially vertical bearing faces, and a pivot fixed in one form part and rotatively carrying the other form part, said pivot being disposed substantially at right angles to said bearing faces so that the form parts swing relative to one another in planes diagonal to the major axis of the form when the form is inserted within or withdrawn from a shoe.

5. The form of claim 4, the pivot being a headed screw, the head of which bears in one form part and the shank of which is fixed in the other form part.

6. The form of claim 4, the diagonal plane of division extending from top to bottom through the shank of the form beginning at a point at the bottom of the form adjacent the forward inner edge of the instep and terminating at a point at the bottom of the form adjacent the outer rear edge of the instep.

7. A shoe form, comprising fore and heel parts, and a substantially horizontal pivot disposed diagonally of the form and swivelly interconnecting the parts to permit the parts to be rotated relative to each other in a substantially vertical direction.

FREDERICK W. ESTEY. 

